Oberlin Portrait: Peter Slowik Story by Michael Chipman Photos by John Seyfried
	News and features about the Conservatory Preview CD's released by faculty, staff & students Past articles from the Oberlin Portrait		This fall, Peter Slowik joined Oberlin's division of strings as professor of viola. Slowik has performed as soloist throughout the United States, and has been featured in broadcasts on National Public Radio. An active chamber musician, Mr. Slowik has performed with cellists Anner Bylsma and Leonard Rose, the Mirecourt Trio, the Vermeer Quartet, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and members of the Cleveland, Chester, Orford and Smithson quartets. Past orchestral associations include service as Principal Violist of the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, Concertante di Chicago, American Sinfonietta and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded on the Deutsche Grammophon, deutsche harmonia mundi/BMG, American Grammophone, Erato and Cedille labels. Slowik serves as President of the American Viola Society, and is artistic director for CREDO Chamber Music Camp, a Christian music offering held each summer in Bull Valley, Illinois. Prior to joining the Oberlin faculty, Slowik taught for 13 years at Northwestern University, where he was awarded the McCormick Professorship for Teaching Excellence. His former viola students perform in such major American orchestras as the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and National Symphony, and in university appointments throughout the country. Peter Slowik's appointment to Oberlin strengthens his family ties to the Conservatory. Slowik's brother, Kenneth, is director of Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. Each year, Kenneth works closely with a winter term string quartet of our students, who each form a quartet to travel to Washington, D.C. and teach in local schools and perform at the Smithsonian Institution on historic Stradivarius instruments. Kenneth also is artistic director of the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, a premier chamber program held each summer at the Conservatory. What is your first memory of music? I don't have a specific first memory of music because music was all around me as I was growing up. It seemed that listening to and appreciating fine music was a natural part of being, like eating and drinking. An early memory (probably from around age five or six) is listening with my family to a final concert at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, and a performance of Liszt's "Les Preludes." What I remember is the power of the music and the beauty of so many people moving together. It seemed very late at night: a warm night with a slight breeze. I can practically smell the aroma of the pine trees that surrounded the outdoor amphitheater. The entire scene: fine music played by young people, the "protection" of my family, and the appreciation of the outdoors is quite descriptive of things I still value in my life today. Did my early life experiences such as the concert shape my development, or do I remember events based on the ideas that still connect to my life? An interesting question, too. How old were you when you started playing? I began playing the piano at age five, and the viola at age 10, through the public school instrumental program. What inspired you to be a musician? What keeps you inspired on discouraging days? I initially wanted to play the violin because I was inspired by the lyrical violin solos in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade.The visionary public school instrumental teacher suggested that I take the viola instead, and "get a scholarship to college." As the expression goes, the rest is history. I have never regretted my decision to be among the lovely and fascinating inner voices. The thing that keeps me inspired on discouraging days (and we all have them!) is the knowledge that I am doing something to make the world a better place. I have had students speak to me of the influence I have had on their lives, and two who said that their musical studies brought them through severe (and life-threatening) bouts of depression. The idea of working together with people in a search for beauty, balance, self-knowledge and "truth" is powerful enough that my discouragement never lasts long. What is the most memorable performance you have ever seen and why? Certainly not the greatest performance, but one of the most memorable was a master class performance of the Bach C Major Prelude by a young violist. He had a complete memory breakdown about halfway through, and spent the next two minutes "searching" for a musical thread he could grab on to. He played scale fragments, arpeggios, motives from the piece, and the like for what seemed like an eternity before finding his way again. For me, the tenacity and determination he showed made it a very memorable performance. If you could perform with one musician living or dead, who would it be and what would you perform? I would perform with the great violinist Fritz Kreisler, a man whose playing epitomized freedom and elegance, and the sheer joy of making music. I would perform the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante (appropriately for violin and viola) because of its marvelous energy and creativity within the "confines" of classical style. If you could master another instrument, what would it be? I would play the banjo! The instrument sounds like it is having so much fun - sheer enthusiasm and joy! In fact, I have a banjo that was bequeathed to me by a dear family friend that is now sitting underneath the piano in my studio. It is in need of repair and I don't know the first thing about playing it, but occasionally I hear it calling me. I feel we should continue to grow and accept challenges at all stages of our lives. I hope to respond to the musical and physical challenge of playing a new instrument "when I grow up." If you couldn't be a musician what profession would you choose? Which profession would you definitely not choose? If I couldn't be a musician, I'd probably like to do something to help people. The thought of pharmacy once appealed to me as a way to help people who are ill. I'd flourish running a non-profit entity designed to help people - something like "Habitat for Humanity." I don't know if there are professions I would not choose - each one contributes to society and there is something to be learned from all. On second thought, I would certainly avoid any profession whose design is to do damage to others - the military, boxing, etc. What do you listen to after a long day? After a long day of listening to music I prefer to listen to silence or the sounds of nature. I also enjoy the sound of baseball on the radio, especially if I'm driving home. What do you like to read? I often read the Bible for direction and inspiration. My other reading is eclectic: sometimes for betterment, often for fun. I am always enriched and in awe as I read the classics (a recent example is "Crime and Punishment"). In the fun category, I especially enjoy the finely crafted wit of P.G. Wodehouse (a favorite is "Leave it to Psmith") and the modern-day story-telling of Jan Karron ("At Home in Mitford"). The three words that best describe you: I'd like to be thought of as fun-loving, intelligent and compassionate.